A CONVERSATION WITH EHUD OLMERT Interim Israeli Prime Minister

The idea is that most of the settlements that would have to be removed from where they are now will be converged into the blocs of settlements that will remain under Israeli control. . . . The rest of the territories will not have any Israeli presence and will allow territorial contiguity for a future Palestinian state.

When you say that in much of the West Bank there won't be any Israeli presence, will the army stay behind?

I will keep all military options to be able to combat terrorism effectively everywhere.

Is there is a difference between "convergence" and withdrawal?

I think it more accurately represents the strategy for the West Bank as distinct from the one that was carried out in Gaza. In Gaza, we pulled out of all the territories and dismantled all the settlements. Here, I'm talking about relocating many of the settlements into blocs that will be maintained by Israel.

Is the fence the basis of the future border that you're thinking about?

The fence will have to be adjusted to the makeup of these blocs of settlements. No Israeli will live outside the fence, first for the sake of security and secondly to provide territorial congruity for the Palestinians to form their independent state.

The time has come for a change, and I am absolutely determined to accomplish it. I think the time is right, and I think the Israeli electorate is ready. The fact that, after having said in the most explicit way what my ideas are, we came out of these elections as the largest party is, I think, a testament to the determination of the Israeli electorate to move forward.

I think there is an opportunity now that never existed before. This is due to a combination of public opinion in Israel, my commitment and the understanding and hopefully future support of President George W. Bush.

What would you like the Americans to do to help Israel with these moves ?

If we [come to] share the conviction that the Palestinians are not ready for genuine and meaningful negotiations, then I will try to reach an understanding with the administration as to what steps Israel should take -- what should be the border of Israel in order to reduce the level of confrontation between us and the Palestinians to a minimum.

Would you want some kind of U.S. recognition of the borders you set?